§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to review or amend arty provisions of the Homeless Persons (Scotland) Act; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonI have no current plans to review or amend further the provisions of part II of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987. But I expect to issue soon a revised code of guidance on the homelessness legislation in Scotland, to which local authorities are to have regard in exercising their homelessness functions.
§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average length of stay for families with dependent children, who were accepted as homeless by their local authority, and placed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation, in 1990 or at the nearest available date; and if he will express the answer in terms of the average length of stay for Scotland and for each district and islands council.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThis information is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many families with dependent children were accepted as homeless in 1990, or at the nearest available date.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonAccording to returns so far submitted by local authorities to the Scottish Office, they accepted 9,900 households with dependent children as homeless in 1989–90. Some returns are known to be outstanding.
§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many families with dependent children, accepted as homeless by their local authority, were placed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in 1990 or at the nearest available date; and if he will express the answer in terms of the total number for Scotland and for each district and islands council.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonReturns so far submitted by local authorities to the Scottish Office indicate that in 1989–90 they placed 670 households with dependent children, whom they had accepted as homeless, in bed and breakfast accommodation temporarily pending inquiries under the legislation, and 166 in such accommodation following assessment. Some households may be included in both these figures, which represent less 365W than 7 per cent, and less than 2 per cent, respectively of the number of households with dependent children accepted as homeless in 1989–90. A breakdown by district and islands council is set out in the table. Some returns are known to be outstanding.
366W
Households with dependant children accepted as homeless, Scotland, 1989–90 found bed and breakfast accommodation, by local authority Local authority Temporarily pending inquiries Following assessment Scotland 670 166 Borders Berwickshire — — Ettrick & Lauderdale — — Roxburgh — — Tweeddale 1 — Central Clackmannan 1 — Falkirk 4 1 Stirling 7 1 Dumfries & Galloway Annandale & Eskdale — — Nithsdale — — Stewartry 4 — Wigtown 14 — Fife Dunfermline — 1 Kirkcaldy 13 2 North East Fife 8 1 Grampian Aberdeen 42 36 Banff & Buchan 7 — Gordon 9 — Kincardine & Deeside 3 1 Moray 4 — Highland Badenoch & Strathspey — 1 Caithness — — Inverness 2 — Lochaber 8 1 Nairn — — Ross & Cromarty 6 — Skye & Lochalsh 6 — Sutherland — — Lothian East Lothian 35 1 Edinburgh 3 — Midlothian 23 36 West Lothian 32 26 Strathclyde Argyll & Bute 21 6 Bearsden & Milngavie 1 — Clydebank 5 1 Clydesdale — — Cumbernauld & Kilsyth 28 11 Cumnock & Doon Valley 5 — Cunninghame 93 11 Dumbarton 14 — East Kilbride — 1 Eastwood 4 4 Glasgow 19 3 Hamilton 2 2 Inverclyde — — Kilmarnock & Loudoun 32 — Kyle & Carrick 114 9 Monklands 1 — Motherwell 1 — Renfrew 69 — Strathkelvin 19 2
Local authority Temporarily pending inquiries Following assessment Tayside Angus — 5 Dundee 8 — Perth & Kinross — 1 Islands Councils Orkney Islands — — Shetland Islands 1 1 Western Isles 3 1